Instrumentalization of Children's Activity in Post-Soviet Schools as a Factor of Family Conflicts Introduction: School as a Arena of Mediated Parental Conflict In the post-Soviet socio-cultural space, general education school often performs functions that go far beyond academic learning. In situations of family breakdown and subsequent judicial disputes over the child's (often daughter's) place of residence and communication schedule, the school may inadvertently or consciously become an instrument in the hands of one of the parents, usually the mother living with the child. The process of building a "loyalty file" through certificates, concerts, and other extracurricular activities of the child represents a complex socio-pedagogical phenomenon based on the specificity of institutional relationships, gender stereotypes, and legal illiteracy. 1. Institutional Premises: Why Does the School Become an "Ally" of the Mother? Administrative and communicative access. The parent with whom the child resides (in 85-90% of cases, the mother) has daily physical and communicative contact with the class teacher, administration. They bring and pick up the child, attend meetings, and promptly resolve current issues. This creates a natural coalition of "mother-teacher" based on logistics and regular interaction. The father, living separately, often has only formal access to communication, which marginalizes his position in the school ecosystem. Implicit gender agenda. In the post-Soviet pedagogical culture inherited from the Soviet era, the stereotype of the mother as the "natural" and main agent of upbringing persists, while the father is often perceived as a supplementary, disciplinary, or financial figure. School staff, mostly women, often project this model onto their relationships with the family, unconsciously taking the side of the mother in the conflict. Practice of "single contact person". In order to achieve administrative convenience, the school often recognizes only one " ... Read more